To protect work from lathe chuck jaws try aluminium self adhesive tape also called purging tape,available from welding suppliers,it is very accurate on thickness so should not cause any more trouble than usual in a 3 jaw. I first used this when machining some parts for a camera lens. Set up , now use it on everything couple of layers is sufficient.
In addition to the brass, aluminum, and nylon hammer ends I use oak and pine glued to a simple hex bolt. the wooden ones are a great alternative as they have more mass than nylon and yet arent as likely to damage the surface as brass on finished pieces. Im a gunsmith so it may be a very specialist tool but Im throwing it out there for any who may find it useful.
One tip that i learnt when doing my apprenticship on Mills and Lathes. One for the Lathe, this depends on your own machine, is to remove any levers next to the half nut lever. It was a common problem when concentrating on the work and need to engage one of the levers you could accidently go for the wrong one. So when setting up your turning operations keep in mind what out of the two or three levers you will need, then remove the other(s). In time with experiance with the machine you could always put the levers back on all the time.
If you CAN'T remove one or more of the others, change the texture or shape of them, (or both). Your hand & brain will quickly learn the difference. I sustained a brain injury 17 years ago, and am very prone to these kinds of mistakes, so I have been forced to learn ways to accomodate my tendencies, and multiples methods for making mistakes.
@@georgedennison3338 My wide was always mixing up the gas tank door re;ease lever with the trunk hood release lever so I stuck a piece of velcro to one and she thanks me every time she uses it.
When I was young and stupid (as opposed too old and stupid now) I messed with Triumps, MGs, and the odd Cooper. So, the "...built like a British car..." was right in my wheel house. Never forget that Lucas electronics were the heart-of-darkness also...
As someone who has spent 15 of the last 20 years working on British cars, we share that bond. Time to place another order for a jar of Lucas magic smoke...
I also feel your pain, I had a TR6. I thought the ladies would like it, but it only drew older men, who had had one in their youth. In my waning years, I now have an older SL500, not sure it's an improvement.
@@Blondihacks You must have the patience of a saint! Fifteen years of Brit madness, wow. The worst I ever had was a four door Austin American...think it was a '66 model. It used fifty weight oil for the engine and shared it with the automatic transmission! I bought it from a buddy to help him out in '74. Then I tried to drive it from Sacramento over Donner's Pass to Reno. It ran out of power at altitude and couldn't climb the last thousand or so feet to the pass. Had to push it through the median and coast to a lower altitude to start it.
Lucas, inventor of the dark emitting lamp, and the intermittent wiper. However they learn that from Magnetti Marelli, as anybody who ever owned an Italian made vehicle can attest to as well. My father with his Alfa had a tool kit in the car, which included amongst them a special handbrake adjuster tool a half meter long on each part, as the adjusters were buried half way down the firewall, and he was not keen on the typical Alfa owner solution of either, not park on inclines, or carry 2 bricks with. Also the vehicle that he took from the dealership brand new to Corrosolve, to basically drown the inside of every panel. Only slowed the rust down a little.
Quinn, I looked up Quinns word of the day , And now I will use it in a sentence.... She practiced her( Alchemy) In her shop turning ordinary metal into precision parts .... Viewer tip I use hanging file cabinet folders to store , Emery cloth . crocus cloth and all the grids 120.220, 400. Staples sells little plastic file box's for hanging folders . so i can move the whole box from job to job , This is the first video in my Saturday night Blondie hacks Marathon , ( because the world is closed ) so thank you for taking the time to make these videos. Pete M
One thing I noticed on your Lathe that happened on mine too was the Spindle guard disappeared! Even more strangely the fixing screws were left untouched. One of those unsolvable mysteries I guess. On a more serious note, one of the first things I did on my Lathe was to install an emergency kick switch. I had to get an electrician friend of mine to wire it in, but its one of those just in case mods. If I did have a lapse of concentration and my Lathe did try and have my hand off, I'd need to reach over the spindle to hit the kill switch. Not ideal. Some might say its over kill but since Im alone in my machine shop, you gotta have your own back.
Cheap will do in a pinch, however, a great lesson for a creative learning curve. Blondie, amazing teacher with personality that allows for students to retain! GOOD STUFF!!
Only change is to plasti dip it so it fits more comfortably. A bright colour as well, so it is easy to spot when it inevitably drops into that big pile of assorted swarf in a bin as you lean over. Before dipping hit it with some 80 grit paper to rough it up, and wash in acetone to get it oil free, so the dip has the best chance of holding. If you can do powder coat then a couple of dips in powder will work as well, and will be a lot harder wearing, but all I have is plasti dip, so that is what I use.
Get the quote right - it is from Tolkien, and reads "One ring (spanner) to rule them all, one ring (spanner) to find them, One ring (spanner) to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Hi Quinn. Not sure that it is easy but I added a low voltage relay electrical interlock, no volt release switch and low voltage table travel limit switching to my mill table power feed. A lot safer to use here in the UK than it was. Stopping the mill spindle now stops the table drive and it has to be reset to restart. Restoration of electricity after a failure no longer results in the table starting to move until it has been reset. Finally the table travel limit switches now run on 24 volts AC instead of the potentially lethal UK mains electricity voltage of 230 Volt AC. BobUK.
on you slide lock, with the cute hex wrench. Use your dremel and machine an O-ring groove in the hex. That will stop it falling out. perhaps. I have a small workshop as well, and a huge industrial compressor. THAT lives under the house and the air line comes through the wall. I ran a switched electrical line out to it, and using a double pole single throw switch, control a light in the workshop to remind me that the compressor is ON. Gets very old, to hear the compressor kick in at 0-dark:30 and its winter, with the grass all sparkly with water crystals.
The Victorian engineer in me expected to see more brass. I heartily approve of The One Wrench to rule them all. Companies should design things with this concept.
I'm glad I've found people on RU-vid that teach others by their videos on how to do things. I have a small shop in my basement and made things from metals for my motorcycle. One thing I did find is how to heat treat metal parts using a small charcoal grill and used a fan to force air up through the vent on the bottom, then quench the parts in used motor oil (turns them black and makes them rust proof), let them cool then put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about half an hour to finish the process. I have a bench top drill press, a bench grinder and other tools. I may be looking into getting a Harbor Freight small lathe. I do like to watch what you do as I can always learn something.
I know most of your tips were mechanical in nature. A good thing to do with a lathe is have a designated place for T handle. Wire a limit switch so the lathe can not be powered up while T handle is not in its safe location. Then tether a cable so the t handle can be used but not leave the machine. I've done this for machines at work as well for machine s at home. Just added safety and organization.
Owner of a "cheap import lathe" here - would love to hear more about gib adjustment and tips. I 100% agree, the compound is the source of most of the lack of rigidity. Locking it would be great, but single-point threading is mostly what I do. I think this topic could be a whole video - if someone with the relevant expertise and experience (hit-hint, nudge-nudge) had the time and inclination. Love the videos - please keep them coming!
Solid tool post for the win! One thing nobody ever seems to mention is the reason for using the compound for single-point threading: it's to reduce chatter caused by the high cutting forces involved in taking a plunge cut with a form tool. But you know what else reduces chatter? Rigidity. I can cut almost as coarse using a plunge cut with my solid toolpost as I could using the compound, and I get the DRO telling me how deep I've gone as a bonus.
When I was in grad school I had my first close encounter with a milling machine in the Physics Department. They had some kind of clever alignment buttons. They were cylindrical mushrooms turned from steel. The small diameter was sized to fit into the table slots and the large diameter was large enough to sit on the surface of the table. If you have to mount your work to the table rather than a vice you would drop two of them into a table slot and butt the work against them. That starts you out with the work mostly parallel with the slot as long as the diameters match and the two sections are concentric.
Great ideas. Finally someone who understands the psychological damage that working on British cars can do. To stop chips from my mill I use cardboard wings, about 18" tall, cut to fitted under and behind and to the side that catch all the chips. I protected them with gaffe tape and renew when necessary. Cheap, simple and very effective. Will be making the front guards like the ones you have. Great vids.
Two chuck keys for 4 jaw adjustment makes life so much easier. Being able to adjust and then tighten from both sides cuts down the number of last minute small adjustments. I have used this method for the last 4 - 5 years having arrived at it by logic.
Very few individuals know this process, just bought a new Lathe. On the "ways" I will flaking the surfaces for oil tention. The cross slide will move a lot easier.
Magnets: We have some decent sized magnets in the shop. I throw a towel or plastic bag over them and use them to magnetically "vacuum" up chips. Pull the towel off over the trashcan and the chips drop off.
2:30 - i ended up taking a long M5 screw, some spare bearings, and a couple spacers to make a permanent slip handle for all my slide knobs. All things that most shops will have in abundance, especially if they have 3D printers (i used gt2 belt idlers for the bearings, they work nice and give it a futurey look!)
Hey blondie hacks. Dan from port colborne Ontario Canada. New to this but just acquired a lathe and mill in my hot rod / race car shop and must say your videos are my daily go to. Keep up the good work! Love the channel
After watching a few Adam Booth Abom76 uploads I discovered having interest in machining.. Now I did discover your channel a few days ago and do really appreciate the way you teach and how creative you are to solve practical...and theoretical problems. Very clear and professional uploads..Thx Quinn.
One great improvement for rigidity is to make yourself a beefier compound clamp that uses 4 bolts instead of the factory 2. You usually end up loosing easy sight of the compound graduations, but a protractor makes setting the compound angle easy. My first home shop lathe was a 9 x 20 so I know all about trying to make parts on a machine with the rigidity of cheese! Another great improvement is to get rid of the socket head cap screws they're using to adjust the gibs on that machine and install set screws instead so they won't stick out nearly as far. You can gain even more clearance by thinning the lock nuts since they don't require much torque to keep the screws locked then turning the set screws down to just clear the nut.. Locking the carriage is such a common operation I made an adjustable carriage lock handle for the 9 x 20 that's permanently installed. One of the most useful modifications I made on that lathe.
She is absolutely amazing. I have learned so much from her direct and clear approach. I particularly love her snipes towards the British "depending on how British you are" and " like a British car". Sad that she might not know that the best of British tomfoolery is not displayed on the likes of RU-vid. They don't have the time for it.😊
For shields try some old vinyl advertising, as it is fabric with a plastic covering, and has the advantage of being easy to sew, and you can also put a bar on top to hold it, and at the bottom a loop of fabric to catch the stuff that hits it, making collecting it a lot easier. Find a local signage company and see about getting old advertising sheet, as those often are thrown away, and com4e with a top already for hanging. Might have to pay, but often they are free, just come with whatever was printed on them, so put it as the back, or give it a clean with acetone to get the ink off, or simply paint it again to a flat colour.
On my small mill at home and both big mills at work I have sheet metal trays that cover the tables on both sides of the vise. They just have a wooden key screwed to the bottom that locates them to the center table slot. They catch a lot of swarf and keep the table slots from being filled up by it. Clean up is easy, just pop them off and dump in the trash.
I have good results using a stainless wire brush and/or compressed air to clean metal chips off magnets in my shop. Stuff like my magnetic coolant thingies, magnetic enclosure door stickies, and magnetic welding squares. I don't suppose a stainless brush would be great on acrylic but compressed air may suffice.
@@firstmkb Ah yes, now that was something you could do with an old car. Now all you get is a plastic cover and an engine bay that is so rammed, you can't even get your tools in there.
The most effective mod I made to my Chinese lathe was to add a rear parting off tool holder. I have to reverse the spindle to use it but it totally transformed the parting off performance. Without a saw to cut large diameter bar, parting it off didn't work but the rear tool holder was a magic solution. Also for the Miller a chip guard made from a 2 litre pop (soda) bottle was effective. I just cut a curved line in a piece of plywood and then used wood screws to screw the two pieces back together sandwiching the edge of the piece of clear plastic cut from the bottle. The plywood just sits on top of the vice. I added two wooden guides to the bottom so it snugly slots onto the vice.
Hi Quinn, I got around the problem with the carriage lock and gib screws by changing the socket head screws for socket grub screws. That way, I was able to shorten the amount sticking out, and get rid of the socket heads.
Solid toolpost is the best thing you can do. I've got a mini lathe and every tapper that i need i make with form tools. Way faster and the big boost of rigidity is priceless. Try to make one, you won't regret it :)
I would like to see that happen also. That dinky little compound drives me crazy.Especially because it's on a 7X10. The handle is constantly in my way for the tail stock.
@@bustednuckles2 I've got 7x12 and it was a big problem also. If you want to make simple toolpost and get some parts for milling attachement you can take a look on this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3xmEnJDaaQE.html Its not the best but i show my milling attachement and solid toolpost. After some extra mods you will be able to do this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1z7WctFry9U.html You should try to make it for yourself :)
@Phil Do a Google images search for 'allen nuts'. Ignore all the shiny bits, and look for the black oxide cylindrical looking things. I just got a QC tool post, and the first thing I did was replace the nut & washer on the hold down bolt with a Torrington (thrust) bearing and an allen nut. Torringtons are great to put behind nuts used to tighten something when you don't want the something to move as you tighten the locking nut. You may need or want the Torrington on the compound lock, but an allen nut will give you a durable connection point to loosen/tighten instead of the handle, when a stud is involved. If the handle has an integrated bolt, replace with a stud, and use an allen nut. They are great to keep around a shop, the row of knurling at the top is sufficient, (they are case hardened), to press fit them into soft materials which won't hold threads, but you need a threaded hole. Hope that helps. I have a Sherline lathe, which is even smaller than the 7 x 10, you REALLY have to figure out space savers with a Sherline! GeoD
Nice vid, ta. If you are going to make a tappy - tap - tapometer and an extra plastic screw-in face, can I suggest you mount the third face in the butt of the handle. This is what I do with mine and when I need that third face it is always with me ready to be swapped out. Keep up the great work.
I learned machining on a 90’s vintage Milltronics CNC with flood coolant and 120” (yes, 10 feet) of X axis travel. Being an open machine, chips and coolant went EVERYWHERE. I tried all manner of plexiglass shields, but what wound up working the best was building a simple frame out of electrical conduit and hanging cheap shower curtains.
Excellent video as ever, thank you. Regarding the access under your lathe for drain plugs and cleaning, you could consider a set of raising blocks between the lathe feet and the main chip tray. I have 1.5 inch blocks under my Myford and they make things so much easier. Cheers, Toby
That's a LOT of hardware for cross slide and compound gibb adjusters. Correct length set screws with thin jam nuts will certainly do the job and probably give the clearance you need for a square head carriage lock bolt with corresponding flat wrench.
For the Cross Slide Knobs and the Tool Post Knobs, I just bored them out then ran a cap screw through them into the original holes. Now when I turn them the outer shell, formerly the solid knob, turns in my hand. It's a quick and easy mod that stays on the knobs and I don't need a slip pipe or something else. Love the mods you made. My lathe is a 3 in 1 Multipurpose Machine Model 44142 by Central Machinery in China, (Harbor Freight). It's basically the same machine as a Grizzly G7929. Thanks for the fun videos, I enjoy them when you post them. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Had some issues with a quick change tool post purchased from my mini lathe's manufacturer. Just received some stock a week ago to make a spacer to replace the compound and finally make the new tool post useful. Great suggestions!
If you need to keep the compound on, then at least modify the anchor to use 4 t-nuts instead of just 2. Those darned things just love to rock back and forth about that fulcrum point. Tip: where the spacer meets the cross slide surface design in a tripod feature to it. That way it's much easier to assure a solid connection to the C.S. Also, I milled mine with integral rails to fit the t-slots. But that tripod feature made a world of difference for me. Before I had a heck of a time with chatter that I don't have anymore. It's also much easier to dial in to size when you don't have the slop to deal with. Surface finish is much better too. Seriously I can't think of a single downside.
I hope I was one of the people who you took notice of about using two chuck keys. I sing your praises a lot with my lathe friends, we are all impressed.
@@davidwillard7334 Not sure where the misunderstanding is, but I'm talking about a four-jaw independent chuck.. Then having a DTI on the work you can very easily get it running to zero. I found that when I rotated the chuck if I was tired that I moved the single key in the wrong direction.
Hello Quinn, personnally I use my M fuel 12 volts Milwaukee ratchet for the draw bar and I love it, really faster than the key that come with the milling, a lotvof saving time when changing tools 😉
Re: "Who is Don?" There should be a contest for most outrageous 'English' label on a machine. My lathe, "Flame Hardened Bedwats." Keep up the good work. Nice prsentations.
@@keithprocter141 are you sure that's not a "Nanodrop"? www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/industrial/spectroscopy-elemental-isotope-analysis/molecular-spectroscopy/ultraviolet-visible-visible-spectrophotometry-uv-vis-vis/uv-vis-vis-instruments/nanodrop-microvolume-spectrophotometers.html
Those anti-spill paint pottles that they use in preschools are good for cutting compound, I keep Rapid-Tap and a small acid brush in one. I took one of the handles off my Emco Compact 8 compound. I have a small square of 4mm rubber sheet I put under the mill spindle when taking bits out of the collet so they don't do the kiss of death on the table. I have 150mm rules stuck to both lathe and mill with magnets so I don't have to go looking for the one I forgot to put back in my apron. The digital display on my Chinese DRO has bright green digits with very little contrast forcing me to squint to see them. I taped translucent green plastic over the display and they are now perfectly legible.
Hi Quinn, thanks for the inspiration! I made a carriage lock very similar to yours with one exception. I drilled and tapped the cap head screw, and drilled through the end of the Allen key, and then placed the lock handle in place and fitted it permanently with a countersunk screw. As I have a DRO fitted, I could only use 90 degree movement of the handle, but it was more than enough. I fitted a stop to the handle so that it could not come back too far and foul the tailstock. Perfect!
I had a machine with a 17mm spanner modded for it, where it was the open end, ground down to 3mm thick, to be able to hold the jam nut while tightening it. I actually used a good quality spanner there, because I had a few rusted Gedore ones from auction, so chose the one with the most pitting as the donor.
Great tips as always. I discover things on my lathe I didn't know I had like what the tapped hole between the gib screws on my lathe's cross slide is for. But I also discover things my lathe doesn't have like a carriage lock or a compound lock. The compound is separate though, so I only install it when needed.
I would totally agree with you on the compound rest removal. If you need to chamfer the the ends of parts you could grind a couple of dedicate tool bits. It dawned on me today just how small your mill is. I am used to a 6 inch Kurt vise.
The shop-made, low-profile, hex wrench that you demonstrated at 1:12 is the same solution that I came to for my rotary table. My 4-inch rotary table was too small to mount some parts, so I made a fixture plate to mount on top of my rotary table out of a six-inch round, half-inch aluminum plate and mounted it to the rotary table. The only problem was that the fixture plate covered the two M6, hex-head cap screws that are used to lock the table. I had to use a needle nose pliers to lock/unlock the rotary table, but it was really inconvenient. I made a very similar low-profile hex wrench that I now leave in place to lock the table. Replacing the lever-style, table-locking screws on your mill with brass knobs is an excellent idea that I'll adopt. I've had to replace two of these handles already on my mill breaking one and bending another.
I second the notion of making a spider. I've realized that I needed one for a long time and just recently got around to making one. Also, I modified the hard stop that mounts on the bed way to accept a long travel dial indicator. Since I have no DRO on the lathe this allows me to move the carriage precisely.
Also, you could cut notches in those shields about where the magnets are and put some fasteners in those holes in the back of the moveable jaw for it to slide onto.
hey Blondy i got the same mill and i found that a twelve point 7/16 ratcheting box wrench fits perfect on that nut and is way handier than a socket wrench.
on that cross-slide lock... I made up a little brass pin for the end of the lock screw, so that it's a brass surface clamping the surfaces; it takes a tad more torque on the clamping screw, but pretty much guarantees no damage to the way. The brass pin also allows for a bit of 'drag' adjustment on the cross slide. Maybe one could put some kind of tiny 'spring between the brass pin and the adjusting screw, a really tiny belleville washer? Just a thought (or two) Thanks for your work on your channel!
@@Blondihacks Speaking of that, I don't think you would want a dimple in the gib...need to be able to adjust it once in a blue moon, after which the dimple wouldn't line up.
@@sierraspecialtyauto7049 The dimples are really just to keep the gibb itself from sliding out of place. They are not necessary (or even useful) for every screw.
Fit a length of silicone rubber sheet from the lathe saddle on the chuck side covering the lathe ways and the lead screw. This will stop swarf dropping between the lathe ways and on the lead screw. Use a quarter of an inch thickness silicone sheet it will stay straight and as you work closer to the chuck it will flex and slide under the rear of the chuck fitted one on my 20 X 10 lathe from new twenty years ago has worked perfectly ever since. A mod definitely worth doing.
I have pneumatic draw bar, and vise on my mill. I have a 100' hose on a reel to use outside. You are clever enough to figure out where to put a compressor. Mine is remote with a timer switch to shut it off automatically.
Joe, I have this as well. Quinn, this might not fit, but I have a nice little two-tank mini compressor due to space limitations. Yes, a giant efficient compressor would be nice, but these new units work great if you’re not running a shop with lots of pneumatic tools. Mine hides behind a small trash can.
Another nice video Quinn, some nice little mods too but hey there! I have to draw the line at your comment about 'Built like a British car' that's just not righ we make them much, much more damned awkward than you suggest, I know I've worked on 'em all my life. Have to make special tools for everything.
Wow Okay...maybe I was not paying attention to that segment so much after the nice and quiet pen caps but your ARC welding almost made me have to clean my chip tray!
Yeah magnets suck in a shop. When I was a machinist 25 years ago I used poly carbonate shields also. But instead of magnets you put an open slot on the bottom. Put a couple screws in your vice jaw. (The same place you stuck your shield on) Have the screws just tight enough so you can pull the shield on and off easily. Works great.
I used a metal machinists hammer for a long time. I came across a piece of 1" copper bar about 4.5" long just right for a hammer. I cross drill it about 11/16ths and made a wood handle. I love it, and will never again use metal!
Enjoyed. a couple of ideas, #1 replace gib adjuster screws with set screws, just long enough to still have lock nut. # 2 cut slots in mill chip guard and install two large head bolts in threaded holes in the end of vice. Remove magnets. Great ideas and easy to watch. My Honda car jack instructions say place jack under neath. Where's the neath Keep um coming.
I like those mill chip shields that attach to the back of the vice. They’d be great when your climb milling and making those little sharp curved needle like chips that are like being molested by a cactus.
